Boot rack assembly

ABSTRACT

A boot rack assembly having a U-shaped member and a mounting plate. The U-shaped member includes a pair of arms and an integral planar rigid mounting portion by which an inverted boot may be held upon each arm of the pair of arms. Each arm exhibits a transverse distal end having about one-tenth the length of the arm. Axis defined by the arms are adjustable relative to each other.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Area of Invention

The present invention relates to a boot rack assembly designed to be securely fastened to any flat surface.

2. Prior Art

Most workers in the construction, industrial, agricultural and various other industries use work boots on the job. Often, these work boots need to be stored, cleaned, and/or transported on a daily basis.

Currently, workers have few options of what to do with their work boots when they are not in use. Workers often throw their boots in the back of their personal or work trucks, but these boots are not secured and often get damaged and destroyed. Often, workers boots are coated in drying cement, dirt, and other debris that can dirty and damage the inside and outside of a vehicle. The term “work boot” is used generally and can be replaced with any type of boot or shoe, including boots, ski boots, work shoes and the like.

The prior art includes a boot rack assembly designed to securely fit into a flatbed of a pick-up truck as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,592 to Ferguson. The prior art also includes a boot drying rack as shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. 292,534 to Basaraba.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,354 to Bronstein discloses a folding boot-drying rack which can be utilized either vertical or horizontally. It would be desirable to provide a boot rack assembly which can be mounted to any flat surface. The present invention addresses this long felt need in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A boot rack assembly including a U-shaped member and a mounting plate. The U-shaped member includes pair of arms and a planar rigid mounting portion integral therewith, whereby an inverted boot may be held upon each arm of said pair of arms. Each arm of said pair of arms may be directed toward the other by use of a resilient linear region of dependency between each arm and said planar rigid mounting portion, this comprising means for bendable adjustment therebetween. In between each arm and a plane defined by said mounting portion comprises an angle in a range of about 90° degrees to about 110° degrees.

The mounting plate includes a means for attachment to a surface.

It is an object of the invention to provide a place to securely and conveniently store work boots and work shoes to any flat surface.

It is another object is to provide a boot rack assembly so that rain, dirt, and other debris do not get into the interior of the boot.

It is another object to provide a boot rack assembly that provides a convenient place for boots to dry and maintain their shape.

It is another object to provide a boot rack assembly which can be easily mounted on a wall, the interior or exterior of a car, the bed of a truck, the tire well of a truck, the tool box of a truck, to the side of a commercial vehicle, trailer, and other locations.

The above and yet other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the hereinafter set forth Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description of the Invention, and Claims appended herewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of the boot rack assembly.

FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of the boot rack assembly illustrating the inverted placement a pair of boots.

FIG. 3 is a perspective side view of the boot rack assembly illustrating the inverted placement of a pair of boots.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the boot rack assembly without the mounting plate attached.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the boot rack assembly without the mounting plate attached illustrating an angle greater than 90° degrees.

FIG. 6 is a perspective of the boot rack assembly without the mounting plate attached illustrating the arms bending towards each other.

FIG. 7 is a perspective side view of the boot rack assembly illustrating a horizontal mounting position.

FIG. 8 is a perspective side view of the boot rack assembly illustrating a vertical mounting position.

FIG. 9 is an illustrative view of the boot rack assembly attached to a tool box and the side of a flat-bed truck.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the variation of the end of an arm.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another variation of the end of an arm.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of yet another variation of the end of an arm.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another variation of the end of an arm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown, in perspective view, a boot rack assembly 10 including a U-shaped member 20 and a mounting plate 30. In FIGS. 1 and 2 may also be seen a pair of arms 22 and a planar rigid mounting portion 24 integral therewith, whereby an inverted boot 26 may be held upon each arm of said pair of arms. Each arm of said pair of arms 22 is directed toward the other. Each of said arms 22 includes an integral distal end 27, use is more fully described with reference to FIGS. 10-13 below.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 the boot rack assembly 10 includes a resilient linear region of dependency 28 between each arm 22 and said planar rigid mounting portion 24 comprising means for bendable adjustment therebetween. In between each arm 22 and a plane defined by said mounting portion 24 comprises an Angle A in a range of about 90° degrees to about 110° degrees. As shown in FIG. 4, the preferable angle being 90° for greater stability of the inverted boot 26 on the arm 22. In FIG. 5, a greater angle (Angle “B”) is used which may allow for the placement of wider and larger boots on the arms 22. In FIG. 6 an angle less than 90° is depicted (Angle “C”) which would be far less useful in the placement of boots due to the closeness of the arms 22. Each arm 22 exhibits a length in a range of 14 to about 20 inches and, thus a ration of length to that of said distal end 27 of about 10:1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mounting plate 30 comprises means for attachment to a surface. In FIG. 8 is shown the mounting plate 30 including a vertical mounting surface 38. In FIG. 7, is shown the mounting plate 30 including a horizontal mounting surface 40. The mounting plate 30 may include both a horizontal mounting surface and a vertical mounting surface for versatility in placement of the boot rack assembly 10. The user may choose to mount the inventive assembly vertically against a wall in his home, horizontally against the wheel well of his truck, or vertically against a tool box in the bed of a truck. (See FIG. 9).

As shown in FIGS. 1, 7, and 8 the mounting plate 30 includes means for attachment 32 to the planar rigid mounting portion 24. The means for attachment is preferably a threaded bolt 36, but another form of attachment may be used.

The U-shaped member 20 is preferably made of a substantially rigid material such as steel or aluminum. The substantially rigid material is not limited to steel or aluminum and may be comprised of a polymer or other substantially rigid material. The mounting plate 30 is preferably made of a rigid material such as aluminum, but may also be comprised of other rigid materials. Both the U-shaped member 20 and the mounting plate 30 are preferably powder coated before end use.

The arm 22 length ranges from about 14 to about 20 inches. The distance between the arms 22, defining the planar rigid mounting portion 24, ranges from about 5.5 to about 7.5 inches. The ratio between the arm 22 length and the planar rigid mounting portion 24 is about 2.5:1. The ratio of the arm length, to the distance between the arms, can be adjusted at said region of dependency 28 for larger or smaller boots or shoes for greater stability.

The ends 27 of the arms 22 preferably define a length of about 0.5 to about 4 inches and a width of about 1 to about 2 inches. As shown in FIGS. 10-13, the end of the arm 22 can be shaped in a variety of ways. The preferable shape is that shown in FIG. 1, which provides the most stability for the boot or shoe and is easy for the user to place and remove their boot or shoe. Variations of the ends 27 are illustrated in FIGS. 10-13. In FIG. 10, 27A illustrates a variation to the end of the arm 22. In FIG. 11, 27D illustrates a separate variation to the end of the arm 22, including Angle D. FIG. 12 shows an alternative variation to the end 27B and Angle E. FIG. 13 illustrates end 27C and Angle F for another variation to the end of the arm 22. The ends of the arms 22 are pointed towards each other instead to conserve space and for safety.

The vertical mounting plate 38 defines a length of about 2 to about 5 inches and a width of about 1 to about 3 inches. The horizontal mounting plate 40 defines a length of about 3 to about 7 inches and a width of about 3 to about 5 inches.

While there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the instant invention it is to be appreciated that the invention may be embodied otherwise than is herein specifically shown and described and that, within said embodiment, certain changes may be made in the form without departing from the underlying ideas or principles of this invention as set forth in the Claims appended herewith. 

1. A boot rack assembly, comprising: (a) a U-shaped member; and (b) a mounting plate.
 2. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 1, in which said U-shaped member comprises: (a) a pair of arms; and (b) a planar rigid mounting portion integral therewith, whereby an inverted boot may be held upon each arm of said pair of arms.
 3. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 2, in which said each arm of said pair of arms is directed toward the other.
 4. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 2, further including a resilient linear region of dependency between each arm and said planar rigid mounting portion, said region comprising means for bendable adjustment therebetween.
 5. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 4, in which an angle in a range of about 90° degrees to about 110° degrees is defined between each arm and a plane defined by said mounting portion.
 6. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 2, in which said mounting plate comprises means for attachment to a surface.
 7. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 2, in which said mounting plate includes a vertical mounting surface.
 8. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 2, in which said mounting plate includes a horizontal mounting surface.
 9. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 1, in which said mounting plate includes means for attachment to said planar rigid mounting portion.
 10. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 6, in which said means for attachment comprises a threaded bolt.
 11. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 2, in which said U-shaped member comprises a substantially rigid material.
 12. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 2, in which said mounting plate comprises a rigid material.
 13. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 7, in which said vertical mounting plate defines a length of about 2 to about 5 inches.
 14. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 7, in which said arms of said vertical mounting plate defines a width of about 1 to about 3 inches.
 15. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 8, in which said horizontal mounting plate defines a length of about 3 to about 7 inches.
 16. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 8, in which said horizontal mounting plate defines a width of about 3 to about 5 inches.
 17. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 2, in which said planar rigid mounting portion defines a length of about 4 to about 8 inches.
 18. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 14, in which each of said arms define a length between about 14 and about 20 inches.
 19. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 18 in which a ratio of length of each arm to its corresponding end comprises a ration of about 10:1.
 20. The boot rack assembly as recited in claim 19 in which each end of said arm defines an axis of intersection with an axis of its corresponding end in a range of about 60° to about 120°. 